I'm not the most experienced vegan on the planet,
but I thought I would take time today to share three reasons I am vegan.
1. my health
If you've been reading my blog for awhile or if you know me in person, you know that I'm not the healthiest person around, but I try harder than almost anyone I know!
I am very proactive about my life in general,
and after I read the studies (great summaries of nutrition studies here),
I couldn't eat the same way anymore as I used to.
Learning that nutrition changes which genes get expressed and which genes don't get expressed was a life-changing idea for me (check out more information on this new science of epigenetics here).
This means that environment (NUTRITION and lifestyle)
are much more important than we ever thought.
Yes, I have some genetic weaknesses, and I experienced some insults to my health early on.
HOWEVER, I can make a big big difference in how these play out through how I choose to live,
and the new science shows that I can actually turn off certain genes.
Why shouldn't I be able to get well?
Why shouldn't I be able to support my body in a way that enables it to recover from vulnerabilities and insults from my genetic make-up?
I decided it's worth a try!
My health is what led me to choose to eat only plants.
Here are some great resources on the topic of health:
*** Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death ***
*** Forks Over Knives ***
available on Netflix
*** What the Health ***
available on Netflix
2. animals
This mindset didn't come to me right away.
When I stopped eating animals, I slowly came to believe
that ALL sentient creatures deserve to live.
They do not deserve to die so that I can eat them or drink their secretions.
They are individuals with personalities, preferences, and ideas about how they would like to lead their lives. I believe they were created to display God's glory, to show His character (and humor!), and to bring us joy, not to be killed and eaten.
I do not want to take part in violence of any kind,
and I choose to do my best to avoid causing suffering to any living creature.
I do not want to take part in violence of any kind,
and I choose to do my best to avoid causing suffering to any living creature.
Learning led me to realize that God's original plan was for His people to eat plants, not animals
(see Genesis 1:29).
(see Genesis 1:29).
We are meant to bring the Kingdom of God to this earth as much as possible RIGHT NOW, and that includes spreading love and peace around as Jesus did when He was on earth.
Killing and causing suffering are NOT loving or peaceful,
and they were not part of God's original plan.
and they were not part of God's original plan.
In His final New Kingdom, we will not be eating animals and they will not be eating each other.
Let's make that happen now!
Your Kingdom come, Lord, now on earth as it already is in heaven!
You may think that farming practices are kind and that animals are well-treated.
If you think that, you are wrong.
We have caused BILLIONS of beautifully thought-out and designed creatures to be born -
only to live lives of misery, pain, fear, and suffering, then to die in horrific ways so we can eat them.
We can't give back life to the animals we harmed and killed, but we can prevent future suffering.
Find out more about the horrific pain and sadness caused by us to the animals we have created for food at the following sites (these are HARD to watch):
*** Cowspiracy ***
http://www.cowspiracy.com (available on NETFLIX)
Get all the facts!
*** Farm To Fridge ***
*** Earthlings ***
*** 101 Reasons To Go Vegan ***
3. the earth
We are ruining the beautiful planet God created for us.
We are close to having fished out the oceans.
We have polluted our waters with animal waste, toxins, and garbage.
We have cut down irreplaceable forests that protected our precious soil, animal life, and plants.
Our job was to care for this earth, and we have failed.
It's long past time for us to confess and choose compassion instead of violence.
Our earth is beautifully balanced and designed by God, and if we STOP the destruction,
it typically returns to a healthy state.
Let's start that now!
All the reasons I am vegan fall into those three categories.
I hope this post was helpful to you as you hear about World Vegan Day and wonder why anyone would move away from a standard diet heavy on the animals (in more ways than one!)
I did it over two years ago and do not regret it for one moment!
Here's a video I made about my favorite health-related books:
Here are my favorite YouTube channels:
Nutrition Facts:
Veg Society Of Hawai'i:
Pick Up Limes:
Melissa Alexandria:
Mic The Vegan:
Happy Healthy Vegan:
Pam Popper:
That Vegan Couple:
LilyKoi Hawai'i:
(not family friendly due to language)
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